


Bare Grace Misery

by cloudsgrl



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-05-12
Updated: 2011-09-11
Packaged: 2017-10-19 07:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/198410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudsgrl/pseuds/cloudsgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While searching for Horcruxes, Harry stumbles upon the symbol for the Hallows in a book near the term 'Composer', and thus drags the unwilling former Proxy Neku into a battle for the wizarding world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

swit bɔɪ kʌm ɪn, aɪ æm ði dɑrk saɪd ʌv yu

 __

'There were once three brothers who were traveling down along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.

 _'And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him._

 _'So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks on the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother._

 _'The then second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him the stone would have the power to bring back the dead._

 _'And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility._

 _'Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admitting Death's gifts._

 _'In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination._

 _'The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally, with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible._

 _'That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The theif took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat._

 _'And so Death took the first brother for his own._

 _'Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him._

 _'Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her._

 _'And so Death took the second brother for his own._

 _'But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, as equals, they departed this life.'_ ((From Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 35))

`.`.`

Harry Potter stared at the drawn symbol for the Deathly Hallows, the symbol Grindlewald adopted as his own in his attempt to take over the world. The symbol that was found on Hermione's copy of _Tales of Beetle the Bard_ , and Harry's old copy of _Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them_ , Harry swore he'd never seen the symbol before, however it was marked by an entry so small and insignificant in the book that Harry could have easily glanced over it while in class.

The symbol sat next to an entry for what the Asiatic sorcerers called "Composers", masters of death in certain largely populated magical areas that remained unseen and unknown until one died. Knowledge of these human-like creatures only came from their assistants, "Conductors" and "Game Masters". Any other knowledge was guessed at by European wizards and the Asiatic counterparts refused to share.

However, written along the margin, in a handwriting that none of the trio recognized was 'Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan'. A possible location for a Composer? Or the central bank of knowledge of Composers and Conductors? Whatever it was, Harry had half the mind to ask Hermione to write a letter to one of these 'Masters of Death' and ask for their assistance. The issue at this point was finding an owl willing to deliver all the way to Japan, no easy task. Also, there was the issue of the reply; how would the owl find them, or how would any assistance be able to find them?

Harry stood, carrying the book in question and joined Hermione sitting outside. "Mione?"

The girl turned, offering Harry a tired smile. "What is it Harry?"

He showed her the mark again and the script in the margin. "Do you think we can try and contact them? Maybe one will be able to assist us?"

"Harry, just because the book claims these 'Composers' are masters of death, doesn't mean they actually have any control over it. In fact, the entire entry in the book could be false, seeing as there isn't any more information known by British wizards." Hermione drew in a deep breath, appearing for all intents and purposes to continue onto a long lecture. Harry quickly cut her off.

"I know, I know, I just…" Harry slammed the book shut and sighed. "I just need to make sure we aren't ignoring something that could seriously help us."

Hermione managed a nod, sighing. "Understandable. I'll have the letter sent off after the next time we switch locations. I'm sure we can find an owl willing to help us somewhere."

Harry hugged her tightly, closing his eyes in a small amount of euphoria. Like Hermione said, it could just be another dead end, but at least Harry wouldn't be constantly wondering 'what if' the whole time.

`.`.`

Neku stood behind the counter of the WildKat, reluctantly polishing glasses and checking the coffee constantly to make sure he didn't inadvertently burn it; Mr. H would kill him. Neku really didn't care much for the caffeinated beverage, however Mr. H was the only guy in Shibuya who'd hire Neku and Neku didn't fear being molested every so many seconds. The only issue he had with it was Joshua's favorite pastime:

Phones Fondling (as Mr. H aptly called it).

The Composer was an asshole, constantly appearing behind Neku, leaning over his shoulder and whispering directly into his ear with a breathy "boo". A few times, Joshua would even burst into the WildKat, arms flapping wildly and shrieking something at a hideously high pitch, but after Neku chucked a full coffee pot at his head (just barely missing) Joshua desisted.

After finishing up the last of the glasses, the once-dead teenager glanced at the store's window, head tilting slightly at the sight of an owl, resting on the slight perch offered on the edge of the window. Neku bit his bottom lip almost nervously, feeling the urge to open the door and see if the owl would fly inside. The owl was less than a foot tall in height, mostly a pale white that almost appeared to be plastered onto his feathers, and tufts of feathers about its head that almost appeared like ears. It's eyes were a bright orange, and when Neku made eye-contact, he heard a small _"goog gook"_ come from the bird.

"It's a Collared Scops Owl," Joshua's voice had Neku jumping once again. The boy turned to the Composer, clutching his chest.

"A what?"

"An owl." Joshua managed a grin, taking off a cloak that Neku never noticed before and placing it on the counter behind him. "It's the typical way of delivering post in Europe for witches and wizards. The magical community in Japan outgrew those centuries ago."

Neku paused in returning to back behind the counter. "Witches? Wizards?"

Joshua waved him off, striding over to the door with his long legs and opened it wide enough for the owl to land on Joshua's shoulder. The owl gave another one of those _"goog gook"_ noises before holding out one of its legs, where Neku spotted something it clutched in its talons that he hadn't noticed before. Joshua held out a hand and the owl dropped the clutched paper into it. "Neku, grab some of that pastry I had earlier today, and give it to Marudachi please."

Neku paused in holding out the pastry for the owl to take. 'Streaker', really? The boy shrugged when the owl left Joshua's shoulder, landing on the counter with a little bounce before pecking at the scone. It did sound like a name Joshua would use for a pet.

The Composer joined the owl and Neku at the counter, reading the scribbled note with narrowed eyes and a scowl across his face. He glanced at his cell phone, the bright orange thing that Neku thought looked similar to his hair color. Joshua hummed to himself before grabbing a hold of the oddly shimmering cloak sitting on the counter.

"I have a mission for you Neku."

Neku was still new to his job of Conductor, of helping polish souls for reincarnation, however there was no question that Joshua seemed to trust the former Proxy (no question to anyone but Neku). "What do you need?"

Joshua's lips spread into a smile, his inhuman lilac eyes glinting in the light of the café. "I need you to go to Britain for me, and follow up on a job I was given long ago."

`.`.`

 __

"It is one thing to prepare for greatness. It is another entirely to have it thrust upon you."


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is a sign I don’t do action well, or that I don’t do this kind of action well. At least cause I’m not in the mood. Basically I started working on this because I had an urge and then as I started writing it died. Trying to write through it. Sorry!

Harry found himself wondering over the Deathly Hallows once more, and Voldemort’s use of the Elder Wand.  He knew the Hallows would be able to assist him in defeating the Dark Lord, but with only the possession of the Invisibility cloak, he didn’t really have any form of power.  His only true option was to destroy the Horcruxes, there was nothing else he could do at this point.

The Chosen One found himself walking to Hermione’s side, about to ask her for the copy of _Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them_ so he could peer over the small notes about Composers and Conductors.  His soul(?) clenched, knowing something was going to happen, he knew it.

“Harry, come here!” Ron’s voice called out, catching his attention in the silence of the wilderness around them.  Harry rushed over to his two friends’ sides, grouping around the Wizarding radio.  Ron had figured out the password to access Potterwatch, and the trio eagerly listened to find out Wizarding news.  Despite the joking tones, the entire time Harry felt like he was being watched, that something was able to see them.

“Are the wards up?” Harry questioned, quickly after the brief radio show gave the next password.

Ron nodded, “I put them up myself.”  Hermione gazed around, subconsciously lowering the volume on the radio.

The trio looked around, not spotting anything truly out of normal for the area, but Harry drew the spare wand Ron had given him.  ‘Homenum revelio’ was cast, but no hints of humans were nearby.  Harry’s face set in a scowl, “I know you’re out there.  Reveal yourself!”

Directly before them, less than ten feet away from the tent, a form appeared.  It was a boy around their age with spiky orange hair, clothed in a purple shirt, white shorts, what looked like Muggle headphones around his neck, and then an overly large fluffy white coat that swept the forest floor.  His bright blue eyes almost seemed inhuman as he gaze at the Golden Trio.  “Are you the ones who sent a letter via owl?”  He had an accent, one whose r’s and l’s seemed to switch at times, but didn’t make him too difficult to understand.

“To whom?” Hermione questioned with her wand at the ready.

The orange haired boy crossed his arms, slightly sullen.  “To my Composer, to ask for assistance? He sent me in his stead.”

Ron continued to aim his wand at him, even though Hermione and even Harry seemed to lower theirs.  “How do we know what you’re saying is true?  You’re human and yet you didn’t show when we cast the spell.  You look like a Muggle and yet you were able to see through the spells protecting our camp.”

He glared faintly at the coat he wore when he adjusted the headphones around his neck.  “If it makes you feel any better I have practically no knowledge of the Wizarding World.  I only have the minute details the Composer deemed worthy to give me, nothing else.”  He went to take off the coat, pausing at how it was wrapped up in the wires to his mp3.  “I know you have to defeat some Dark Lord and you need all the assistance you can get.”  He shrugged, trying to ignore the way the tangles were obviously irritating him.

“How did you appear from nothing if you know no magic?”

“It’s a skill you learn when you are a Conductor.”

“Can you teach us?”

The Conductor paused.  “Well, I could,” he reluctantly seemed to mention, “I just wouldn’t recommend attempting it.”

“Even if it would help us defeat Voldemort?”

 “The name’s Taboo!” Ron yelled, pushing Hermione and Harry inside the tent just before a series of cracks sounded outside the tent.  “I told you, Harry, I told you, we can’t say it anymore – we’ve got to put the protection back around us – quickly – it’s how they find –”

But Ron stopped talking, and Harry knew why.  The Sneakoscope on the table had lit up and begun to spin; they could hear voices coming nearer and near: rough, excited voices.  Ron pulled the Deluminator out of his pocket and clicked it: Their lamps went out.

“Come out of there with your hands up!” came a rasping voice through the darkness.  “We know you’re in there! You’ve got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don’t care who we curse!”

Harry looked around at the other two, now mere outlines in the darkness.  He saw Hermione point her wand, not toward the outside, but into his face; there was a bang, a burst of white light, and he buckled in agony, unable to see.  He could feel his face swelling rapidly under his hands as heavy footfalls surrounded him.

“Get up, vermin.”

\--.--

Neku scowled when the ginger-haired boy pulled the other two back into the tent, but that noise that sounded suspiciously like a gunshot had him on his toes.  Slipping back into the UnderGround (UG) was accomplished easily, and the chances of these enemies of the trio would spot him were null.

They surrounded the tent with wands pointed towards his charge, dragging the struggling wizards out and interrogating them for their names.  He quickly realized with their comments that their names weren’t Vernon Dudley, Bardy Weasley, or Penelope Clearwater, especially if these were the goons of their enemy.  But at the smallest possibility of the trio making it free from a possibly lucky guess on names, a sword’s appearance screwed it over.  As well as a daily prophet, whatever it was supposed to be.

But it was the next few words that had Neku attempting to grab a hold of the recognized Hermione Granger in hopes he wouldn’t lose them (and thus Harry) so soon after finding the possessor of the Invisibility Cloak.  Unfortunately, being in the UG made people not in the realm inaccessible, intangible to him.  Mentally cursing, he began the task of trying to stealthily send Joshua a text message.

 “Will you summon ‘im? ‘ _ere?”_ said one of the smaller wizards, sounding awed, terrified.

“No,” snarled the oddly animal-like one, the one Neku pegged for a possible werewolf, “I haven’t got – they day he’s using the Malfoys’ place as a base.  We’ll take the boy there.”

“Are you completely sure it’s him? ‘Cause if it ain’t, Greyback, we’re dead.”

“Who’s in charge here?” roared the werewolf, covering his moment of inadequacy. “I say that’s Potter, and him plus his wand, that’s two hundred thousand Gallons right there! But if you’re too gutless to come along, any of you, it’s all for me, and with any luck, I’ll get the girl thrown in!”

“All right! All right, we’re in! And what about the rest of ‘em, Greyback, what’ll we do with ‘em?”

The Conductor jumped slightly at the alert that indicated he had received a message, barely holding back his sigh that no one else heard it.  Clicking on the message, he rolled his eyes at his boss’s response.

 _Love, borrow my power for a short time to alternate between the UG and RG.  As long as you don’t molest anyone, if you do I’ll take it away._

“Might as well take the lot. We’ve got two Mudbloods, that’s another ten Gallons.  Give me the sword as well.  If they’re rubies, that’s another small fortune right there.”

Neku grabbed a hold of Granger, grinning at the feeling of actually being able to _touch_ someone while in the UG.  He could tell she felt him and possibly the icy cold temperature that he would be giving off, the same temperature that Joshua seemed to be when he was screwing around with Neku in classes or the like.  But she didn’t call attention to it, and he was happy all the more reason for it.

“On three! One – two – three –“

Neku felt Granger twist away from him and re-doubled his grip: the next thing he knew everything went black; he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe, there were iron bands tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; his ear-drums were being pushed deeper into his skull.(1)

However it wasn’t until they were through the gates (and the wards Neku had heard mentioned before that this building undoubtedly had to have) that he released his hold and stayed close to the boy with black hair and glasses, the one the others called Harry Potter.  He was the important one, the one that he could sense possessing one of the Hallows.  Joshua had mentioned he would be the one he’d have to support.

Everything went to hell when the deranged black haired woman noticed the sword.  She demanded the prisoners be placed in the cellar, but she wanted Hermione left in her care.

“No!” Shouted the ginger. “You can have me, keep me!”

She hit him across his face, the smack echoing around the room.

“If she dies under questioning, I’ll take you next,” she said. “Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book.  Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them – yet.”

Granger was cut free from the other captives, and then dragged by her hair into the middle of the room while Greyback forced the rest of them through another passageway.  Neku watched them leave and found himself leaning against one of the walls of the manor, mentally preparing himself for whatever he was about to witness.

He felt obligated to be there for her, as the ginger and Potter were together, but the second she began screaming, Neku wanted to pull on his headphones and blast out his music, if only to drown it out.  He was impressed by her dedication to the cause, refusing to give out any information as the mad woman cut shapes into Granger’s arm in torture.

“You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, _tell the truth_!”  Neku cringed at the high pitched scream Granger emitted at the next cut, unable to help the curiosity of the whole ‘mudblood’ term.  “What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!” 

Neku turned away, knowing that if he interfered now then their escape would be that much more difficult.  But it didn’t make listening to Granger’s screams any easier.  It was when she called out for the goblin, Neku practically scurried to her side, hoping Joshua was still being gracious and maintaining the ability for Neku.  He knelt beside her, and placed a hand on her shoulder, whispering, “I’m still here.”

She blinked, and gave a miniscule nod and seemed to draw comfort that he was there.  With the goblin’s entrance, he pulled away once more to watch the preceedings, hoping he could find an opening soon.

“And now,” the mad woman said in triumph, “we call the Dark Lord!” She pushed back her sleeve and touched a finger to a tattoo on her arm.  Neku was half expecting some sort of flare of energy or whatnot, based off how important the tattoo must have been, but no signs of any magic used had him deflating slightly.  “I think,” she said, “we can dispose of the Mudblood.  Greyback, take her if you want her.”

The ginger kid burst into the room, screaming ‘no’ before casting a spell to obtain the woman’s wand.  A quick duel occurred, Neku barely dodging some of the stray ones flying in his direction before the mad woman called it to an end.

“STOP OR SHE DIES!” Potter was hiding behind a sofa, Granger held by the mad woman with a knife to her throat.  Neku made his way to Granger’s side, hoping to find her still conscious. “Drop your wands,” she whispered. “Drop them, or we’ll see exactly how filthy her blood is!”  The ginger and Potter dropped their wands, blonde junior retrieving them for the crazy lady.

“Now,” she said softly, “Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girl, Greyback, after what you have done tonight.”

There was an odd grinding noise from above.  The group looked up to see what was causing it; Neku grabbed ahold of the unconscious girl.  He glanced up, spotting a creature similar looking to the goblin (which wasn’t pleasant looking at all), undoing whatever held the chandlier to the roof.  As it began falling down, the mad woman let go of Granger and recoiled away from the crash site.  Neku shoved the goblin out of the way and carried Granger over to Potter’s side.

Everyone gazed at the floating body before Neku decided to appear, shocking all the wizards in the room.  Fortunately for him, the mad woman was focused on the other creature in the room.  The ginger seemed intent on making sure Granger was okay, so he willingly handed her over, adjusting the coat Joshua made him borrow and scowling once again at its overly fluffiness.

“You must not hurt Harry Potter,” the creature squeaked.

“Kill him, Cissy,” shrieked the mad woman, but there was another crack and the blonde woman’s wand flew in the air and landed on the other side of the room.

“You dirty little monkey!” the mad woman cried.  “How dare you take a witch’s wand, how dare you defy your masters?”

Potter threw a wand to the ginger, crying, “Ron, catch – and GO!”  Neku helped Potter retrieve the goblin, mentally apologizing for shoving him away so far it could cause him harm.  He grabbed ahold of the sword that the goblin clung to so desperately before grabbing Potter, focusing his gaze on the unarmed wizards and witches in the room.  As the overwhelming magic feeling of disappearing and reappearing he noticed the knife flying in his general direction, and he cursed.

 _“Take calculated risks. This is quite different from being rash.”_ George S. Patton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) The exact word for word description of Harry's first experience with apparition. Figured Neku's experience would be very similar.


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of Pottermore, I had an urge to work on this. Unfortunately I don't have my DH book with me up in Colorado, so the whole robbing Gringotts and such will be off. Luckily, this is when I deviate from the books, so this isn't such a big issue. Unluckily for all of you, because I couldn't make up my mind, it took much longer than planned to get this out. Hope you enjoy.

Neku landed on a sandy beach, his (Joshua's) coat becoming caked in the fine dirt. Cringing he took off the coat and slung it over an arm, hoping these wizards had a spell for cleaning clothes. It would be most helpful.

"Dobby!" the Conductor looked about, looking for Harry Potter. He spotted Granger and the ginger, holding onto one another in some kind of comforting embrace, Potter cradling the goblin like creature as the last bits of life seemed to be leaving it, a bloody knife dropped on the sand. He sighed, scratching his neck and adjusting his headphones before wandering over, hands slipping into his pockets.

Granger stared at him with watery eyes. "Can't you do something?"

He shook his head, "All I can tell you is how close he is. This isn't my territory. My Composer might have been able to do something but…" He offered a sympathetic smile, but didn't offer any apologies. People died in war, and this goblin creature thing called 'Dobby' was probably one in the possible thousands that would.

It was a fact of life that Neku was quick to learn as Joshua's Conductor.

As the soul began to leak into the UG, Neku tentatively reached out and held onto it, clutching it tightly. He knew that if the soul remained in the RG too long after its release that it would become mutated, a Noise, but if he handled it right, he could use the purity of the creature called 'Dobby' to help Harry Potter win this war. For his mission, it was a risk he was willing to take.

He followed the group into what the ginger called 'Shell Cottage' and found himself intrigued with the older ginger and his wife, a very beautiful blonde woman. They accepted the trio's presence easily; however it was Neku's that seemed to bother them. The woman's creature senses alerted her to exactly how dangerous he could be, and didn't feel comfortable letting him enter her home.

Neku apologized for the inconvenience and told Granger he'd stay outside, after asking if they'd kindly clean his (Joshua's) fluffy coat. The woman and her husband appeared concerned that he couldn't do such a simple spell, but he just offered a grim smile and wandered up the cliffs to survey the ocean.

The smell was slightly different than the smell found in Japan, but that was based off memory a year or two old. This trip, this mission from Joshua was his first time out of Shibuya's grounds since the Game… He glanced at the palm of his left hand, where he knew a timer would be ticking down; if he listened hard enough, he could even hear it. But it was hidden from his eyes, just as it should be hidden from the wizards' eyes.

"Mr. Conductor?" It was Granger, her eyes still bloodshot. Vaguely he wondered if she would grow attached to him after sticking through such a traumatizing experience, much like how Shiki had.

"Granger," he inclined his head slightly, "retrieving me so soon? I thought you'd like to mourn the loss of your friend more."

She looked torn. "We can't let ourselves get too caught up in his death if we want to win and have You-Know-Who's horcruxes gone by the end of the school year." She gazed at his headphones and the attached mp3 player. "Does that work here?"

His hand brushed against the purple headphones with a small smile. "It's no issue, I've been forbidden from using it around you all. Something about magic and electronics not mixing well, so I have to go without my tunes." He waved it away, not caring to think about it too much. He glanced at the invisible timer, convincing himself he could even feel the time changing across his palm, "What do you wish to discuss?"

`.`.`

Neku stared at the inscription on the entrance to Gringotts in something of vague amusement. After having to imprint on that 'Death Eater' (such an odd name for a group, considering they weren't Reapers) to leave, everything was becoming somewhat amusing. His 'magic' and this European version of magic seemed to not mix very well, but he could still use it. The inscription sounded like something Joshua would write to warn others away from the Dead God's Pad, if only for his sheer amusement, the twisted bastard. The goblin named Griphook had made a deal with his unknowing charge, and Neku much preferred to not depend solely on the word of a creature whose inhumanity is clearly visible.

He knew he'd be at the minimum slapped by Granger, who was currently looking like the Mad Woman from before, if he voiced this opinion, but there wasn't much he could do. Only assist his assignments in their mission for his own. He followed dutifully behind everyone as they worked their way through the Bank, riding the roller-coaster-esque cart until they passed through a waterfall. They fell to the floor, Granger and Weasley's disguises slipping away. Griphook led them through the paths, navigating them around the large lizard (dragon, his mind supplied) that appeared to be old, withered, and tortured for an extended period of time. He calmly walked passed it, still invisible to things in the RG, and awaited the trio and goblin on the other side.

Once inside the vault, Neku slipped back into the RG, causing the goblin with the group to make a noise of disbelief. Ignoring the muttering of invisibility and how disillusionment charms are supposed to be impossible, Neku searched alongside Potter for the goblet. With what he was quickly informed about it only a few hours before, it was an object that contained a piece of a soul. If true, Neku should've been able to sense it. Souls had magic, music, imagination, and it was what he and Joshua worked with.

Spotting a goblet on a higher shelf, Neku pointed at it. "There." Weasley took the moment to lightly brush against something, the object falling to the floor and began to replicate itself exponentially. Neku cursed, Potter dashed forward, climbing the growing amount of miscellaneous valuable items, causing them to multiple more and more. Neku himself shifted, feeling himself go a bit off balance with the pressure of the items against his skin, and wondered why he never learned how to float like how the Reapers knew how.

As Harry reached for the horcrux, Neku turned his attention to the exit. The goblin was grinning menacingly. His hand brushed against his old player pin, watching as the chaos around him seemed to slow down, everything going dark except for its thoughts. It wanted the sword, and was planning on trapping them inside. The Conductor couldn't let that happen.

Neku activated one of his pins, watching the goblin squirm as it was surrounded with a large wall of fire. Even from ten feet away, the heat was tangible. Neku held the flames in place, stepping outside of the vault, staring at the goblin in disbelief. What a tricky, conniving creature. It sneered at him, the sharp teeth appearing even more sinister. It took a step closer to the fire, its beady eyes peering at him through the fire, as if ignoring its existence entirely.

The Conductor's eyes glinted, his hand clenching around the pin as the flames rose higher. The goblin reached a hand out towards the fire, eyes going wide as the flames seemed to cling to it. The goblin screeched in pain, recoiling as fast as possible. Neku couldn't help but smile smugly, an expression he had learned from Joshua early on. "Weren't expecting that, were you?"

"Mr. Conductor," Granger's voice was filled with a mixture of shock and anger, "What are you doing?" She approached the goblin, ignoring the fire, ignoring the commotion left behind in the vault. Potter and Weasley were following her, carrying the sword and the cup, the vault continuing to fill to the brim with replicated items forgotten completely.

"Don't," Neku's slightly whispery voice, using a singular psych for a longer period alongside his Conductor powers caused this small side effect, stopped her from moving any closer to the fire. "He planned on betraying you." He raised his hand toward the creature. "I cannot allow you to fail." His eyes flashed brightly, the ticking of his personal timer echoing in his head. "Destroy the cup now, and then we shall escape."

Potter nodded, placing the Hufflepuff Cup on the ground, with Weasley raising the sword high above his head. Neku could feel something stirring from inside, something recognizing the nearby danger. If it was going to be destroyed, undoubtedly it would attempt to take some of them with it. That too needed to be prevented. Hoping he had enough Imagination to pull it off, he turned his attention towards the cup, attempting to wrap it in a shield, to prevent anything from lashing out.

He felt his Imagination waver, but it held the flame steady and he could see a semi-transparent shield rise from the ground to wrap itself around the cup. The sword was practically slammed into the cup, no elegance whatsoever, an inhumane shriek of anger echoed around them. The raised shield faltered and cracked under the pressure, but remained.

When the dark smoke disappated, the shield around the mis-shapen cup and the fire preventing the goblin from stealing the sword dispersed; Neku's arms fell to his sides, panting slightly from the overwhelming feeling of overexerting himself. His muscles seemed to twitch beneath his skin, a pressure on his chest getting heavier and heavier with every breath. His eyesight darkened, shadows creeping in from the peripherals, and he had to hold his arms out slightly to maintain a balance. He shook his head, working on getting rid of the lightheadedness that came with the shadows.

`.`.`

Harry watched the Conductor's moves closely, a bit surprised at the abilities the teenager appeared to have. What else could he do other than appear out of thin air, form shields and raise fire? And were these normal abilities? But they didn't have enough time to ask questions. When the fire and shield fell, the Conductor seemed to collapse upon himself. Hermione rushed to his side, not quite touching him as she repeated his title, trying to get his attention.

Griphook took the chance and grabbed for the Gryffindor Sword, ripping it from Ron's grasp and rushing away. Ron called out after him, throwing a stunner in the goblin's direction, just barely missing him. Harry threw his own stunner, hitting Griphook and sending the sword flying. It hit a wall of solid stone before falling to the floor with a clatter. Ron ran over to Griphook, casting incarcerous to prevent the goblin from managing to escape or alert the others of their presence.

Hermione finally managed to have the Conductor come back to himself, his eyes glowing in the lantern light. "Is everyone alright?" He questioned, his hands slipping into the pockets of his shorts. After confirming everyone's status, the Conductor glanced about. "Now, how to escape without being caught."

"Honestly, I don't think we planned that part all too much." Ron said reluctantly, crossing his arms in thought. "We were so focused on getting inside we didn't think about getting out."

Hermione seemed flustered, beginning to pace back and forth, garbed still in her Bellatrix clothes. The Conductor blinked a few times before muttering to himself in his native tongue. He raised his voice, as if to get everyone's attention, before realizing he wasn't speaking English any longer. His accent was thicker after switching so quickly from Japanese to English, but not completely understandable. "I think I can get us some help. He won't be able to do much, but if he can get here, I should be able to get him to get us out of here."

The Conductor began rummaging through his pockets, pulling out an electronic device. Hermione and Harry shared a look. "I thought electronics malfunctioned in magic areas."

"They do, to an extent." The Conductor managed a smile. "However this is powered by my Composer's personal magic, and therefore isn't running on electricity. It's only my mp3 player," he gestured to the object around his neck, hanging from something that appeared like the headphones Dudley once owned, only much more decorated, "that is truly run by a form of electricity and thus malfunctions." He flipped the object open and began pressing buttons, an audible beep coming from the actions. Finally he held it to his ear, glancing at the screen briefly before seeming to perk up. A sound came from the object before he started speaking once again in his native tongue.

The trio stared at him, fidgeting as they hoped the Conductor would come up with a resolution to their issue. He closed the object, slipping it into his pocket and crossed his arms. "He said he would try to be here soon."

"Who is he?" Harry managed to ask before Hermione. "Your Composer?"

The Conductor seemed to chuckle to himself. "Oh no, my Composer is technically not supposed to leave his territory. I've asked someone else to come." There was a bright flash of light followed by the appearance of a man approximately the age Remus was, hair black and short, wearing a pair of sunglasses low on his nose.

The man began rambling off in what Harry assumed to be Japanese before the Conductor responded with, "We're in Britian, Mr. H, please speak English so my current mission can understand you."

"Ah, yes, sorry Phones." The Conductor rolled his eyes, allowing 'Mr. H' to continue. "Alright, so what we're going to do is use a Producer ability to get from one place to another in a blink of an eye." He rubbed the back of his neck, grinning at the trio. "I just need to know where you want to go. A destination makes it much easier for this ability to be successful."

"You three can choose," the Conductor managed a small smile, "but don't take too long. I don't understand how we haven't been discovered yet, and I don't know how much more time we have left. Pick something and fast. We can figure out where we need to go after we're out of here."

Harry turned toward his two best friends curiously, "Where should we go?"

"Everywhere I can think of the Death Eaters already know of." Ron sighed, shaking his head.

"We are going to have to hit Hogwarts eventually." Hermione thought aloud. "Maybe we can go to Hogsmeade, get an idea of how bad it is, and then work on sneaking inside."

"But where in Hogsmeade can we go? Snape knows about the Shrieking Shack." Harry cursed under his breath. "I doubt anyone wants to risk housing us either. They'd be more likely to turn us in than anything."

Ron practically growled, his hands flying up to grab his hair in frustration. "Why can't anything go right for once?"

Hermione punched him in the arm. "It did! We've destroyed another horcrux. That's progress, Ron!"

"A lot of bloody good it did us," he rubbed the spot that undoubtedly stung. "We're stuck."

The Conductor hissed for silence, practically yelling at them to cease. And then Harry heard the noise. Screeching wheels on the metal rails. Another cart was passing through.


End file.
